The 2023 US Open marked Ajla Tomljanovic‘s return to competition after an absence of over eight months due to a knee injury. However, the Australian player had to withdraw from the Grand Slam after participating in just one match, as her body requires additional time to acclimate to the demands of professional tennis.
Wearing a distinctive long-sleeved crop top along with a colorblock skirt from Original Penguin, Tomljanovic secured victory in her first-round match against Hungarian player Panna Udvardy in three sets. However, she was subsequently forced to grant last year’s Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, a walkover into the third round.
The world No.127 Tomljanovic explained the situation on social media:
Don’t wanna make this a sad post even though I did pull out today. My body still needs time to adjust to the intensity of high level tennis. I’m proud of the work we did to get here but it was just a little too early. Thank you to the New York fans for all the support, Monday afternoon was good for my soul. Back to work for me!
Prior to her first-round win in Flushing Meadows, Tomljanovic’s last match was at the Billie Jean King Cup in November 2022.
